Tag Archives: Economy

Lenten Calendar: Call to Action

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“If you get rid of unfair practices,
    quit blaming victims,
    quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
    and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
    your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.“

— Isaiah 58:9-10 (The Message)

990px-1934_Georgetown_Corner_In_The_Rain Bernice Cross

“Georgetown Corner in the Rain” by Bernice Cross

Harlem Hopscotch

One foot down, then hop! It’s hot.
          Good things for the ones that’s got.
Another jump, now to the left.
          Everybody for hisself.
In the air, now both feet down.
         Since you black, don’t stick around.
Food is gone, the rent is due,
          Curse and cry and then jump two.
All the people out of work,
         Hold for three, then twist and jerk.
Cross the line, they count you out.
          That’s what hopping’s all about.
Both feet flat, the game is done.
They think I lost. I think I won.
— Maya Angelou

 

It’s the first of the month, and the rent is due.

Economists expect that unemployment this spring will rival that of the Great Depression. More and more of us are part of a gig economy that’s got no gigs right now. It won’t be long before people who were barely getting by can’t manage it alone, while people who have always considered ourselves financially independent will learn how financially interdependent we have always been.

What can you and I do right now to “start giving [y]ourselves to the down-and-out?” The time is right for trying on new ways of “living simply so that others may simply live.”

Organizations are reinventing their service models on a daily basis to keep people in their homes and keep the hungry fed. They probably have a banner on the front page of their website right now inviting you to consider new ways you might fit into making those new models work.

What relationships can we deepen into partnerships of mutual support? What services can you offer? Which of your own needs do you worry you will no longer be provide for yourself? Who can you talk to instead of merely worrying?

How can we direct our buying right now to best support people who use that income to support families? What resources might you have literally lying around taking up space in your confined quarters that would help enliven someone else’s?

Liturgical (and Affordable!) Art

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Liturgical (and Affordable!) Art.

After my own heart

Sacred Space on a Budget: Advent

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At our small, city church, our idea-to-budget ratio runs extremely high. I have long applied this quote to my own life, but it has also become a prevailing theme and philosophy in our arts and worship planning:

“Economy is the art of making the most of life.

The love of economy is the root of all virtue.”

– George Bernard Shaw

As much of a fan as I am of putting your money where your values are, I have also seen how making much of little stimulates creativity. Limits are good for art, and improvising with found materials has become part of our aesthetic and ethos. We’ve ingrained this practice to such a degree we didn’t manage to spend the relatively roomy budget we allowed ourselves for dolling up the sanctuary this season. The more dramatic bits were practically free, made from paper, foil, scrap wood, and an upcycled string of bulbs.

Star by Trish, Fabric Hanging by Deb & Cristie

Star by Trish, Fabric Hanging by Deb & Cristie

The Advent “wreath” is a 6′ length of wire with rusted tin stars coiled around a basic candleholder.

We strung a big X of fishing line across the sanctuary above the pews and hung silver origami stars of various styles at varying lengths. The silver caught the light and the layout created the illusion of depth, distance, and filling space on multiple planes with only 13 stars and 2 lines.

I really must take some pictures with an actual camera again someday, but you get the idea.

I really must take some pictures with an actual camera again someday, but you get the idea.

We’re planning to save these for another year and add a similar number of stars on two lines run straight across to achieve more of a knock-out effect. Here are the stars up close along with links to the online tutorials I followed to make them.

The septima stars were quite simple to fold. The component pieces could be easily mass-produced by a chatty group with idle hands, and the pattern is forgiving enough you can use slightly imperfect aluminum foil squares.

septima star

The kusudama pieces are a little more complicated, and I did cheat and use one piece of tape at each join so they could survive the handling necessary to hang them. Better suited for origami paper and crafty types willing to pay more attention to detail. If you do too many yourself, be prepared to dream about crane folds.

kusudama Click here for more beautiful patterns. Most are more involved, and many are more flower-like than star-like. Hmm… Easter, anyone?